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11.12.2010

100 Days of Christmas

Today, while I was going to the grocery store in our town, I noticed that the downtown shopping area has all their Christmas Decorations up.

There were Christmas lights strung, Wreaths on shop stores, and "Happy Holiday" signs up on the light posts.I am glad I had my camera with me so I could document these decorations.It is only November 12th people!Christmas decorations should NOT be up yet!Now, don't get me wrong...I LOVE Christmas.It's one of my favorite holidays.It is a celebration of Christ's Birth, so of course I love it.And, I love all the holiday & Christmas traditions around it, just not this early.

But, what I don't love it the commercialism of Christmas.I feel that each year the "hype" around Christmas gets bigger & bigger and more out of control.And, the Christmas "hoopla" gets brought out earlier & earlier.I love the TRUE meaning of Christmas, the birth of Christ, not the consumerism around it.

Target had Christmas decorations out the first week of October.Starbucks brought out their infamous "Red Holiday Cup" on November 1st.Department Stores are decked out with Christmas Decorations & are already playing Christmas music.

This is NOT okay my friends, NOT okay.I have three steadfast rules that I always abide by when dealing with Christmas:1. I don't put out Christmas decorations or our tree until the day AFTER Thanksgiving.2. I won't listen to Christmas music until the day AFTER Thanksgiving.3. I take down my Christmas tree & decorations on December 26. Every year.*I blame/credit my mom for all of these rules :)

Poor Thanksgiving....it's the holiday that is getting the shaft.I feel like society goes straight from Halloween to Christmas.But, let's not forget what a great holiday Thanksgiving is!It is a time to give Thanks...to God, to your family & your friends.Thanksgiving is the best kind of holiday, the food is amazing and you get to spend the day hanging out with family & watching football! There is no stress about presents and gifts, no stress about decorations, you just get to hang out, eat and think about all your blessings in life.(Don't even get me started on Black Friday!!! Yuck.)Now, if you are one of those people who already have your Christmas decorations up, it's okay, we can still be friends :)When do you set up for Christmas?When do you take Christmas down?What do you think about Christmas stuff before Thanksgiving?Am I the odd one out here?

I 100% agree. I decorate with a passion the day after Thanksgiving and take everything down by New Year's Eve. Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday and don't get me wrong, my house looks like the North Pole exploded in it, but let's take it easy! :) I've read on other blogs that people already have their trees up.

While I can't speak for everyone who breaks your rules I'll let you know why I already have my tree up! :) (and I'm glad we can still be friends) The main reason is that I work in retail... and black Friday is a 15 hour work day for me... and for several days in a row after that. Basically I have one day off a week for the 6 weeks leading up to Christmas and sometimes I feel like I'm the one getting the shaft. I don't get to see my family and friends like I want, I don't get to enjoy my tree... so we start Christmas early at my house. I also make a huge effort to remember Thanksgiving. (we celebrate at my inlaws so the tree does not distract the turkey! ha) and I'm mindful to be Thankful all year... not just in November. I love that you keep Christmas during that special time... to each their own. :) Hope yall have a great weekend!

I totally agree! Just the last few years we started putting up our tree a the weekend after Thanksgiving. Prior to that we didn't until around the 10-15th of December. It really bothers me too that so many places are open on Thanksgiving Day!

um for the record: thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of all time! even more than christmas. and every year a little piece of my heart dies because you are totally right, the christmas decorations come out earlier and earlier. i love you thanksgiving, you will always be my favorite.

I totally agree with you on this- especially no Christmas songs before Thanksgiving! I went to a private school growing up and every year we would sing a Christmas carol in assembly the day we got back from Thanksgiving and our headmaster would dedicate it to me, knowing how passionately I felt about saving Christmas carols for, well... Christmas. Let's enjoy Thanksgiving first! :)

Last year, we put up our tree late- the day after finals (Dec. 17, I think?) so we left it up a little longer than Christmas day. We'll see what our 'family traditions' become as the years go.

This year we're living overseas, so the decorations will be minimal. I'm trying to get creative and brainstorm what we can do here to make it feel like Christmas.

I'm totally with you on all counts. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday so I don't want the autumn season to pass too quickly! I love that Novemeber is a full month of just giving thanks. Bet there's something to God's timing on that, huh?! ;)

You are 100% correct!The only thing I do before Thanksgiving is start to make my Christmas list. We try and try to make Christmas a low-key thing but everyone else seems to go crazy with the gift buying.

This year I did buy one gift super early, which was Star Wars PJs from PB Kids. But I was worried they wouldn't have two sets of 4T at the store closer to the holidays.

We have the EXACT same tree rules. The whole dry tree/house fire thing gets me all irrational around the holidays. And that is why our tree comes down promptly on the morning of December 26. Sometimes even late at night on the 25th. My husband thinks I'm a scrooge. But I just remind him of the fact that fire statistics skyrocket in Dec/Jan and that we could all die and he quiets down... ;)

I agree :) I just wrote about how I bought a fall candle at Target because it was the only non Christmasy thing I could find! My husband says we should wait to put up the tree until after Thanksgiving and I agree although I am excited about it!

Ugh, you are so on point on this one. My sister and I were at Target trying to find kitchen towels for Thanksgiving...nothing. I'm all for the love and joy that comes with the winter holidays but give Thanksgiving a chance.

Hey, I can't remember how I found your blog but I just wanted to say that I agree, but for me it's a little different because I'm from Canada. Our Thanksgiving was back in October so after November 1st it's all about Christmas! We are planning to put of decor/tree up on the first 2 weekends of December and we usually leave it up until after the New Year. I've already started listening to Christmas music though!

I had to comment because I was so mad last week at target. I was looking for a thanksgiving gravy boat and they had already taken the fall type ones off the shelves and sold them clearance, to make room for Christmas!

couldnt agree more....we put up a few Christmas things on our fireplace a week ago ONLY because Russ is leaving for a year on Monday and he asked if we would. Today in a decked out Kohls I said to Hunter..."If this continues Christmas will be in stores by June when youre a grown up!" its getting insane.

couldnt agree more....we put up a few Christmas things on our fireplace a week ago ONLY because Russ is leaving for a year on Monday and he asked if we would. Today in a decked out Kohls I said to Hunter..."If this continues Christmas will be in stores by June when youre a grown up!" its getting insane.

I am a person who loves Christmas! I can actually listen to Christmas music anytime. I just like the way that the music makes me feel. I will play it softly when I am working on Christmas projects throughout the year. ( Did you notice I said softly? I wouldn't want my family to cart me off to the looney bin. LOL ) I traditionally decorate the day after Thanksgiving because I do believe Thanksgiving is a very important holiday. I do go up to my parents house the weekend before Thanksgiving and put up their tree. I dont have a chance after Thanksgiving to get back up and do that. However the rules are very clear there, NOBODY turns on the lights until the day after Thanksgiving. As for my own home we leave our Christmas decorations up until the weekend after Hew Years. The reason for this is basically a traditional one. My Mom and Grandmothers did it. The reason behind it has to do with The feast of the Ephiphany. The tradition was to keep up your Christmas to to celebrate the day. That is why we do it. I remember the first Christmas in our old neighborhood. My neighbor had her tree undecorated and out the door Christmas night! I freaked. My best friend takes hers down on December 26th. I just cant.

I totally agree with you! When did Christmas become so focused on the stuff, the decor, the gifts... it is almost sickening to me. Christ has gotten lost in all of our consumerism. We do very minimal decorations, only buy 3 gifts for the kids (as a reminder of the 3 gifts the wise men brought Jesus), and center our family activities around loving others, serving others, and being the light and love of Christ to people around us. Isn't that what Christmas is all about? Celebrating Jesus! And what is His message to us, that He LOVES us so much He would give His life for us. So our family's Christmas is centered around loving others as Christ would have us to love. It is so hard to do when all we see around us is stuff and toys, and candy and santa. *Off my soapbox now. LOL! :)

If you want another point of view...from a non religious standpoint, here it is. We do not celebrate the "Christ" in Christmas. More times then not you will see me write x-mas.

A lot of people do not understand the point of us celebrating if not for a religious holiday, but we do celebrate. Instead of embracing "Christ," we celebrate family and being together. We encourage that giving and helping others is very important. A different take, but there it is.

Oh... and we can also be found lighting the candle on the menorah in December as well... after all, have to honor the fact that I'm a Jew...lol

xoxo

Mel...btw, be careful in Target... our is playing x-mas music and although YOU don't turn it on until after Thanksgiving, you might have Jingle Bells playing through your head before you know it.

Amen, sister. I couldn't agree with you more about the consumerism. I've always been the type to put up decorations the day after Thanksgiving and and take them down on New Years Day. This year though, we're so excited to be in our new house that I don't think we'll be able to wait past next weekend. And the only day we have free to get our tree is this Saturday-- and I'm so excited!